Sei sulla pagina 1di 2

Think-Pair-Share

WHAT IS IT?
The Think-Pair-Share (T-P-S) technique is designed to encourage students to share and
discuss ideas around a particular topic, issue or problem. You can plan to use Think-Pair-
Share within a planned lecture, but it is also easy to implement it spontaneously. This strategy
can be used to gauge conceptual understanding, filter information, draw conclusions and
encourage peer learning among students. Results can also signal to you that you may need
to re-explain content or provide further support for students. A related pedagogy is Mazur’s
(1997) ‘turn-to-your neighbour’ that forms the basis of Mazur’s peer instruction technique.

WHY USE IT? ACTIVITY SUMMARY


• T-P-S breaks the lecture to allow students to time to Suited to:
reflect on challenging content.
ee Flat floor
• It allows students to negotiate meaning with each
ee Tiered lecture
other or discuss their proposed solutions.
ee Small classes
• The strategy provides a diagnostic point to ensure
ee Large classes
students are on track.

HOW DO I DO IT?
1. Let your students know that you will be using the technique and provide them with
instructions.

2. Plan the activity in advance of the lecture.

3. Pose a challenging question around a topic or concept that you know students find difficult.

4. Think: Begin by asking a question about a topic or concept and allow students to think
individually about their answer (1-3 minutes.)

5. Pair: Each student is paired with another (if uneven numbers, allow 3). To discuss their
answers (2-5 minutes).

6. Share: Expand the discussion to the whole class by calling upon students to discuss their
proposed solutions and any difficulties they had. You can call upon students randomly or
have volunteers discuss their thoughts.

7. Provide feedback to students by using this opportunity to correct misconceptions and


reinforce correct answers.

TEACHING TOOLKIT SERIES


flipped | active | blended
WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER?
• Once you are comfortable with introducing Think-Pair-Share, you may wish to consider
using Mazur’s Peer Instruction Technique
• The exercise could eat into lecture time so you may consider putting some lecture
materials online before class and ask students to prepare before the lecture. This is a
modified form of the flipped classroom known as a partial flip.

WHAT COULD I USE?


• Paper
• Pens / pencils
• Devices

UQ TOOLS:
• UQ Poll
• Padlet

OTHER TOOLS:
• Kahoot: Free third party tool for multiple-choice questions
• Padlet: Free third party tool for short answers and links to multimedia

WHAT IF I WANT MORE?


• How to do a Think Pair Share - TeachLikeThis [video 2:36]
• Think-Pair-Share - Brown University
• Think-Pair-Share - SERC
• Merlot
• Teacher vision: Discusses the pedagogical benefits of think-pair-share
• Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User's Manual. Series in Educational Innovation,
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

TEACHING TOOLKIT SERIES


flipped | active | blended Institute for Teaching
and Learning Innovation

Potrebbero piacerti anche